Rikki-tikki-tavi 4: Family Feud
by Mongoose Lover
Summary: Nagasta finds out that she is the heiress of Marxicasa, the dreaded cobra Emperor. She begins a scheme to rebuild his empire. Meanwhile, RJ falls in love. However, things get dark when Nagasta starts to lure young RJ to her side. Will RJ turn on his family? Will Nagasta rebuild Snake Empire greater and more terrible than ever before? Can Nag and Nagaina's family be defeated?
1. Chapter 1: Family Secrets

Nagasta Meets Nag and Nagaina

Nagasta entered the Dark Forest. Here held answers for her. She met many creatures she had known in their lifetimes, including Tacróc, Kikatili, Kinsta, Darzee's two children, who she had eaten a year earlier, and Karistan, her late husband. "Call them for me Karistan. I wish to avenge you and all the others Rikki-tikki-tavi has taken from me." she hissed. "You must bring someone who knew them in life. You cannot get them yourself." said the shade of her dead husband. She left the Dark Forest and called upon some of her friends. A few of them had known Nag and Nagaina.

They had traveled in the dead of night, past all guards. Not that it had mattered. In the time since her defeat several months earlier, the creatures had started to get careless after not hearing from her for a long time. She reentered the forest. She did not have to wait long for those whom she sought. A big black cobra came toward her. He was flanked by a green cobra. "At last! My parents!" she hissed. "At last, we see in person our daughter Nagasta, the bane of Rikki-tikki-tavi." said Nag. "I've got some things I have to ask you." said Nagasta. "What do you want with us?" said Nagaina. "There is so much I would like to know. So much that Rikki-tikki took from me! And I've wasted months on killing humans!" said Nagasta. "No, you haven't wasted any time at all. The less humans, the better. It was our plan once the people were dead. To kill more. Our kind in our homeland may have been able to kill the people there, but they were divided by petty feuds and wasted too much time fighting each other." said Nag. "Know then Father, that I have won their respect and have united and control the clans." said Nagasta. "Well done." said Nagaina. "However, there was a flaw in your plan to wipe out the people, was there not?" said Nagasta. "I told your father that he should have been hunted down. He wouldn't believe me." said Nagaina. "He attacked me the very night! How would it have mattered had we gone hunting for him in the morning?" said Nag. "We should have killed him first. It was my mistake." said Nagaina. "He has told me. Said he couldn't stand to see the people die." said Nagasta. "So, he told you. Fool! Now you know the truth and can kill him and continue our family plan!" said Nag. "Haven't you talked to Karistan? He nearly had Rikki-tikki, but that pest cheated death and saved the boy and his girlfriend. And killed Karistan to boot." said Nagasta. "I won't deny it." said Karistan. "Even I can't deny that Rikki-tikki-tavi is a dangerous enemy. As is Avíá-tía-tárá, his wife. I don't know if I can handle them alone." said Nagasta. "Remarry. I'm dead and can be of no use to you. Also, Rikki-tikki has once more failed to kill you. He has never managed to kill you. Even with the help of Avíá, he has failed to kill you." said Karistan. "But now the others aren't afraid of us anymore. He's gotten them all to stand up against us." said Nagasta. "No, they are still afraid! Rikki-tikki knows you're still out there. He's not going to rest easy until you're out of the way!" said Nagaina. "By how am I to be rid of him and Avíá? My only plan, kidnapping his children, seems very hard to pull off." said Nagasta.

"You needn't get them all. You only need one." said Nagaina. "Which is still out of my reach." said Nagasta. "You'll find a way, in time." said Nag. "I wanted to ask, why did you leave China? If you'd stayed, you'd still be alive." said Nagasta. "There was fighting among the clans. The House of Marxicasa was respected by all, but….." said Nag.

"The House of Marxicasa, the great Cobra Emperor. Our ancestor." said Nag. "I've never heard of him." said Nagasta. "He ruled all of China and half of India. He was the greatest of the clan leaders. Under him, the clans were united." said Nagaina. "Tell me more about him." said Nagasta.

[To Be Continued]


	2. Chapter 2: The Pride of RJ

**Chapter II The Pride of RJ**

* * *

RJ Wants to Fight Snakes

"I really can't wait to hunt cobras!" said RJ. "I don't see why you are so eager. It is a dangerous business son." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "I can handle it." said RJ smugly. "I will see to it that you can." said Rikki-tikki. "Good, father. Let's start right now." said RJ. "No! No! No! How many times do I have to tell you?" said Rikki angrily to his son. "Let's see. Three times today, twice yesterday, four times two days ago..." said RJ, counting. "That was rhetorical! Stop being a smart aleck!" said Rikki angrily.

"Rikki, dear, what seems to be the problem?" said his wife, Avia-tia-tara. "It's RJ. He wants to fight cobras." said her mate. "Oh Rikki-tikki-tavi Jr." said Avia. "It's not fair! Dad says no!" pouted Rikki Jr. "I happen to agree with your father." said Avia-tia. "Of course you would." said RJ angrily. "No lip from you young man!" chided his mother. RJ extended his lower lip. His siblings Avala, Amira, Arda, and Avala laughed at him. "Don't encourage him." said Avia to her children. They stopped laughing.

"RJ dear, I lost my mother and father and my brother and sister to cobras. They are dangerous. They don't care how young you are; they will kill you if they can." said Avia. "I don't want to lose you too." "You don't think I can handle myself?" said her son grumpily. "I think you could, in time, but, oh, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you." said Avia-tia-tara.

"Dad killed Karait, Nag, and Nagaina when he was my age, if not younger. Why can't I handle a snake?" said RJ. "I didn't choose to get into that situation. I had to. Karait was going to kill the boy. Nag was going to kill the people. And Nagaina was dangerous and tried to kill the boy. I did what I had to!" said Rikki-tikki. "I'm a mongoose! I'm a snake-killer! So why won't you let me? How am I supposed to be like you?" shouted Rikki-tikki Jr. "I'm flattered that you want to be like me." said his father. "However, that doesn't excuse you raising your voice like that. Now, I said, when you are older. Tell you what, we can go mouse hunting in two weeks. You can try hunting one of those first. I'm not even going to consider letting you face a cobra until you can make a perfect kill of a mouse." said his father. "And, I think that you need a little timeout in the stable to think over your behaviour." said Avia-tia-tara. "But Mom!" protested RJ. "Go now!" said Avia. RJ stormed off to the stable.

"What is with RJ?" said Arda. "I think he's really eager to fight a cobra. I think he wants to be better than your father." said Avia. "I'm afraid of fighting a cobra." said Amira. "You don't have to now. Someday we'll show you how." said Rikki. "I hope I can get two snakes on my first try just like mother." said Avála. "Oh Avála, I didn't plan on fighting all of those dusty brown snakelings. I had to. They were trying to kill your father and I." said Avíá. "Only two? Ha, I think I can do four on my first go!" said Alánda boldly. "Four? You're nuts!" said Rikki-tikki. "Do I have to fight a cobra?" said Arda. "In time." said Rikki-tikki. "What if they kill me?" said Arda. "Then I'll have to thank them." said Avála. Arda punched him. "Ow!" said Avála.

"Arda, we'll be with you." said Avíá. "What if they get me anyway?" said Arda. "Well, you'll have to learn to do it on your own eventually. We'll be there with you until you feel that you can do it alone." said Avíá. "I feel really comforted." said Arda sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Oh Arda, they'd have to fight me if they got too close. I'm not going to let them get to you." said Avíá.

RJ in the Stable

Meanwhile, RJ fumed inside of the stable. "It's not fair! I am a mongoose yet I don't get to be like one!" said RJ. He vented his frustration on a pile of hay that had been stacked neatly, causing it to fall over. Part of the hay landed on him. The young Indian mongoose angrily kicked it off of himself. He then began to chew on the hay, snarling and snapping at it.

He pretended that the hay pieces were snakes. "Take that!" he yelled. "Beware, I am the great RJ, the greatest snake killer in the world!" said RJ. "Snakes aren't like hay son." RJ turned. Rikki-tikki had come into the stable.

"Not that I'll ever find out! Hay is the closest thing to a snake that I get to fight." said RJ grumpily. "As I said, you will learn when you are older." said Rikki-tikki-tavi. "Grandma and Grampa let you go after snakes!" protested RJ. "RJ, I was in a war with Nagasta. I still am, which makes it even more important than ever that you don't fight until you are ready. Nagasta's snakes certainly won't go easy on you." said his father. "I can take them." said RJ. "I want to be sure that you are prepared." said Rikki. RJ knew that the conversation wasn't likely to go anywhere today. He decided to change the subject. "So, can I come out now?" asked RJ. "If you are ready to apologize." said Rikki-tikki. "Yes, I am sorry." said RJ. _Sorry that you are so stubborn._ RJ thought.

"Why are you so interested in fighting snakes anyway?" asked Rikki-tikki-tavi. "All a grown mongoose's businesses in life is to fight and eat snakes." said RJ. "That is true enough, but, the key words are 'grown mongoose'." said his father.


End file.
